LOS ANGELES (April 22, 2015) – Ritter Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held pharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutic products that modulate the human gut microbiome to treat gastrointestinal diseases, today announced that Gerald T. Proehl has joined the Company’s Board of Directors. With his appointment, the Ritter Pharma Board now has seven Directors. Mr. Proehl will chair the Company’s nominating and corporate governance committee.

“Gerry is a highly regarded pharmaceutical executive and his significant experience in gastroenterology, including building companies and developing products, is ideal for Ritter Pharma,” said Ira Ritter, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ritter Pharmaceuticals. “We expect to benefit from his leadership acumen, strategic insight and drug development expertise to support the development of RP-G28 for the treatment of lactose intolerance, as well as our expansion into additional indications. Gerry also brings a wealth of corporate governance experience through his membership on multiple public and private company Boards.”

Mr. Proehl served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Santarus, Inc. from 2002 through the company’s acquisition in January 2014 by Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLXP) for $2.6 billion. He was President and Chief Operating Officer of Santarus from 2000 through 2001 and was Vice President, Marketing and Business Development from 1999 to 2000. During his tenure at Santarus, Mr. Proehl oversaw the development and commercialization of gastrointestinal products Zegerid® and UCERIS®. Prior to Santarus, Mr. Proehl served in various capacities, including Vice President of Global Marketing, at the global pharmaceutical company Hoechst Marion Roussel, Inc. Over his 14 years there, he worked across numerous therapeutic areas including gastrointestinal, central nervous system and cardiovascular.

Mr. Proehl serves as a director of Auspex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ASPX), Sophiris Bio Inc. (NASDAQ: SPHS) and Tenax Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: TENX), as well as privately held Kinetik Sports, Patara Pharma, Inc., MDRejuvena, Inc. and Dermata Therapeutics, LLC. Mr. Proehl holds a BS in education from the State University of New York at Cortland, an MA in exercise physiology from Wake Forest University and an MBA from Rockhurst College.

About Ritter Pharmaceuticals

Ritter Pharmaceuticals, Inc. develops novel therapeutic products that modulate the human gut microbiome to treat gastrointestinal diseases. Ritter Pharma is advancing human gut health research by exploring the metabolic capacity of gut microbiota and translating the functionality of these microbiome modulators into safe and effective applications. Ritter Pharma’s lead drug candidate, RP-G28, has the potential to become the first FDA-approved drug for lactose intolerance, a condition that affects more than one billion people worldwide.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements, which express the current beliefs and expectations of Ritter Pharmaceuticals’ management. Such statements involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause the company’s future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Any statements contained herein that do not describe historical facts, including but not limited to, statements regarding Mr. Proehl’s expected contributions to Ritter Pharma’s Board of Directors are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.